Registering apparatus particularly



y 6, 1938. J. HANDLEY REGISTERING APPARATUS PARTICULARLY APPLICABLE TO TOTALIZATORS Filed Aug. 29, 1936 2 Sheets-Sheet l I L. V

H i 3 p.

July 26, 1938. i HANDLEY 2,124,697

REGISTERING APPARATUS PARTICULARLY APPLICABLE TO TOTALIZATORS Filed Aug. 29, 1936 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented July 26, 1938 UNITED, STATES PATENT OFFICE REGISTERING APPARATUS PARTICULARLY APPLICABLE TO TOTALIZATORS 7 John Handley,

London, England 1 Claim.

This invention relates to improvements in registering apparatus for incorporation in totalizator and like equipment, of the type adapted to receive bet signal impulses directly or indirectly from ticket-issuing and like machines and including stepwise-operated primary mechanism which actuates secondary mechanism in series with said primary mechanism, and accumulator mechanism adapted to permit said primary mechanism to over-run the secondary mechanism and temporarily to store the impulses causing said over-run.

The present invention consists of a registering apparatus of the type referred to in which the primary mechanism transmits received impulses to the secondary mechanism through the medium of accumulator mechanism including a torsion spring which permits a primary rotor driven by received impulses to over-run a secondary rotor so as temporarily to store excessive impulses, and in which a cam member rotatable with the primary rotor is engageable by a detent carried by the secondary rotor and co-operating with a fixed toothed wheel to control stepwise rotation of the 25 secondary rotor, movement of the cam member in the direction away from the detent effecting disengagement of the detent from the fixed toothed wheel to permit follow up movement of the secondary rotor under the torque of the spring.

Registering apparatus constructed in accordance with the present invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings in which Fig. l is a fragmentary rear elevation of a registering apparatus embodying the present invention, and Figs. 2 and 3 detail views of the accumulator mechanism drawn to a larger scale showing the parts in another position, Fig. 2 being an axial section and Fig. 3 an end elevation. Fig. 1 includes mechanical elements I8, I9, 20, 26, 21, 28, SI, 32, 43, I01 and III which are parts of the mechanism for transferring step-wise impulses from a registering disk of lower order to one of higher order which forms the subject matter of Patent No. 2,100,164, issued November 23, 1937.

The registering apparatus shown includes an electro-magnet I (Fig. 1) which receives electrical bet-representing impulses to be counted and which imparts oscillatory movements to an armature lever 2. The armature lever pivots about a focal point 2a and attraction of the armature by the electro-magnet I is opposed by spring-supporting means such as indicated at 6. The armature lever 2 carries a pawl 4 adapted,

in the return vibrations of the armature lever 2 under the action of the spring means 0, to impart stepwise uni-directional rotation to a ratchet wheel 5 (Fig. 2) which constitutes the primary rotor hereinafter referred to and reverse rotation of which is prevented by a detent 5'. The ratchet wheel 5 is secured on a hollow shaft I00 (Fig. 2) journalled on a fixed spindle I0! and carrying on its end remote from the ratchet wheel 5 a disc I which constitutes the cam member hereinafter referred to. Surrounding the shaft I00 is a spiral torsion spring I02 of which the inner end is connected at mm to the shaft I00 and of which the outer end is connected at H121; to a spring housing I03 fixed to a spur wheel 9 rotatable on the shaft I00 and constituting the secondary rotor hereinafter referred to. The spur wheel 9 carries a pivoted detent 8 which, when in engagement with a cam notch I05 in a lug I06 projecting from the periphery of the disc I, as shown in Fig. 3, is engageable with a fixed toothed or ratchet wheel I0. The spring I02 is initially stressed so that, in the normal stepwise rotation of the disc I with the ratchet wheel 5 the spur wheel 9, under the torque of the spring I02, follows up the disc I with the detent 8 working in the cam notch I05 of the disc I and jumping one tooth of the fixed ratchet wheel I0 in each angular step of the disc 1. In each angular step of the disc I the cam notch I05 acts momentarily to disengage the detent 8 from one tooth of the fixed ratchet wheel I0 and to permit said detent 8 to engage the succeeding tooth of said fixed ratchet wheel 10. The components 5, I and I00 comprise the primary mechanism of the apparatus, the mechanism driven by the primary mechanism being designated, for convenience, the secondary mechanism.

When an excessive number of impulses are transmitted to the primary rotor, due to the inertia and the friction of the secondary mechanism, the latter may lag behind the primary mechanism, or stated differently, the primary mechanism may over-run the secondary mechanism.

Should the primary mechanism over-run the secondary mechanism, the excess impulses received by the primary mechanism will be temporarily stored in the spring I02 until transmitted to the spur wheel 9. Upon release of spur wheel 9 the stored impulses will be transmitted to the spur wheel 9, the spur wheel 9 will follow up the disc 1 until the detent 8 re-engages the cam notch I05, the peripheral edge of the disc 1 serving to keep the detent 8 disengaged from the fixed ratchet wheel [0 until such re-engagement of the detent 8 with the cam notch I05.

Each impulse transmitted by the primary mechanism to a rotary digit-displaying disc I! mounted on shaft I6 and suitably connected by gearing l2, l2a geared to the primary mechanism, counts unity, digits 1-9 and 0 being equispaced circularly on the front face of the disc H which is rotated through one-tenth of a revolution for each transmitted impulse, so as to exhibit a digit. The digit disc I! and its associated driving mechanism constitute a first or single units register.

A digit is exhibited by the disc I! when said digit registers with a window in a front panel (not shown) of the apparatus.

I claim:

A mechanism of the class described comprising a primary rotor, means for actuating said primary rotor in step-wise rotation, a secondary rotor, a spring for transmitting motion of the primary rotor to the secondary rotor, said spring serving temporarily to store excessive impulses on the primary rotor, means for preventing rotation of the secondary rotor due to the action of the spring, means for temporarily rendering said rotation-preventing means inefiective when the primary rotoris undergoing step-Wise rotation so that the secondary rotor urged by the spring is likewise subject to step-Wise rotation, said second-named means also permitting the secondary rotor to rotate sufficiently to release any energy temporarily stored in the spring due to excessive impulses on the primary rotor and means actuated by said rotors for indicating the number of impulses received by said rotors.

JOHN HANDLEY. 

